Shadows (one-shot)
by Ninja Way
Summary: Songfic to "Shadows" by TryHardNinja: "We disappear, then unite like shadows." Sasuke, Kaze, and Hitomi. Three individuals, one family. By Willow Angel.


**A/N: Lyrics in italics.  
THE SONG "Shadows" DOES NOT BELONG TO ME - ALL CREDIT GOES TO TryHardNinja (who is suuuuuper awesome and you should check him out _right now_ \- listening to the song while reading might help set the mood!)!**

* * *

 _There's poison_

 _There's poison in the streets_

 _Dripping from the highest tower_

It was everywhere. Death. Blood spattered the ground, up the walls, dripping off the roofs of the buildings that resided in the Uchiha estate. Bodies everywhere, eyes unblinking, pupils expanded, blood still dripping from the fatal wounds that they tried and failed to fend off.

Blood.

All they could see was blood.

Uchiha Sasuke, who was normally smiling happily, had tears pouring down his cheeks as he saw his parents lying dead at his feet, the murderer standing above them with dark red liquid dripping off the edge of his sword.

"Why, Itachi?" Sasuke screamed.

Hatake Kaze, a usually confident, grinning, happy child, stared horrified and afraid at the fragile body of her mother, lying lifeless in the corner, with her flaming hair in a mess underneath her. Her sword wasn't even drawn.

"Mama," Kaze whispered, falling to her knees and burying her face in her hands, tears finally falling from her blue and white eyes.

Uchiha Hitomi, a timid yet determined young girl, lay crying beside the lifeless bodies of her parents, still holding hands until the very end, with her mother's last words etched into her mind.

"Mother," Hitomi sobbed. "Father…"

 _The countdown_

 _The countdown on their greed_

 _Nears zero as we grow in numbers_

Sasuke sat alone at the Academy, furiously scribbling notes. He showed no emotion, his eyes revealing nothing.

Kaze didn't go to the Academy, but instead she was sitting at home, studying one of her mother's old books on fighting strategies. Her eyes flew over the pages as she read.

Hitomi was at the Academy, sitting a few seats away from Sasuke, copying the same notes, but slowly. She bit her lip in confusion as she tried to comprehend what she was being taught.

 _Revolution_

 _Revolution_

 _A million hears will always be_

 _Stronger than any gun_

That night, Kaze stood in front of her mother's grave. She put her hand over her heart and swore that she would make her proud. Then she turned on her heel and ran into the night.

Sasuke and Hitomi stood together in the room where all of the dead lay. Their entire clan. Tears fell down Hitomi's cheeks and she raised a hand to wipe them away. Sasuke looked at her sadly, and reached out to take her hand. Hitomi gratefully took it, and Sasuke gently squeezed her hand.

They both turned as they heard a noise behind them. All they saw in the gloom was a mane of glowing red hair, but as the figure walked towards them, they saw it was Kaze. She walked over to stand beside Hitomi, and looked out at all the coffins. She looked sideways at Hitomi and held out her hand. Hitomi entwined her fingers with Kaze and together they looked, remembered, mourned, honoured. Together, they cried.

 _We disappear,_

 _Then unite like shadows!_

 _We disappear,_

 _Then unite like shadows, shadows, shadows…_

Sasuke endlessly trained in the forests by himself, throwing kunai and shuriken at countless targets, practising his fire jutsu. He would avenge his clan, and kill the man responsible. He would. He had sworn to himself every day that he would. He would kill his own brother to avenge his clan. And he would destroy anyone that got in his way. Even Hitomi, his own cousin, that he'd loved, played with and trained with since they were children. And even Kaze, the strong young girl that he'd gotten along so well with since they'd first met. Nobody in Konoha would stop him. Not now that he'd decided.

Kaze trained with her brother. He taught her taijutsu, ninjutsu, genjutsu. He taught her to be quick and agile, and she caught on quickly. He taught her many jutsus, even some basic Lightning Style ninjutsu, which went immensely against her Wind Style chakra. And he taught her the way of the blade that she would rightfully inherit when she was of age. Kaze made a promise to her mother that she would use the Bloodline Blade well, and that she would continue until her end, carrying the legacy of Konoha's Violet Samurai. Every single minute of every single day that she was alive.

Hitomi also trained endlessly, but she was having trouble. She couldn't hit a target, she couldn't use ninjutsu, and she was way behind in her studies. But this didn't make her determination, passed down from her caring father, and headstrong mother, waver in the slightest. Her mother's final words to her were still seared into her mind, and she would always remember them. She didn't look for vengeance like Sasuke. No, she wouldn't hate Itachi at all, all because her mother asked. She would just train hard, and wait for the day that she, Sasuke, Itachi and maybe even Kaze could be a family again. Whenever that day would be, she would wait.

They would all wait, for the day that everything ended.

 _A sacred_

 _A sacred brotherhood_

 _Runs deeper than our faded blood ties_

Years later, Sasuke was still at Academy, now thirteen years of age. He was silent, ignoring all the girls swooning over him. He still swore to himself that Itachi would die, by any means necessary, and he didn't care who stodd in his way. Kaze, Hitomi, the whole of Konoha, it didn't matter. He grew stronger every day, at the top of his class.

Any means necessary.

Kaze sat a few seats away from him, having joined the Academy three years previously. She fiddled with her pencil, twirling it around and around her fingers. She, too, grew stronger every day. She too, still made a promise to her mother every day, and she knew that she would for every day until she died. She would make her mother proud, and she would live up to the Hatake name, just like her mother, brother and his father did before her. She levelled Sasuke, at the top of their class. She would make him see sense, sooner or later.

Any means necessary.

Hitomi sat down the front, trying not to fall asleep as their sensei droned on and on. She didn't understand any of it, but she was trying her best. She was up so late the previous night trying to finish her homework that she almost didn't finish. The teacher called on her, and she started awake. Iruka-sensei shook his head, and called on Kaze instead. She answered so easily and confidently that Hitomi turned and glared at her. Kaze's piercing white and blue eyes stared into her jade green ones, and Hitomi gritted her teeth and looked away. She would beat Kaze one day, no matter how much she had to train. She would. They were rivals, and they always would be.

Any means necessary.

 _The whispers_

 _The whispers of the poor_

 _Will turn into a nation's war cry_

Sasuke held a lifeless Hitomi in his arms. He screamed her name, hugging her close to his chest. He tried to stop her, he truly did. He tried to stop her from leaving Konoha, but she didn't listen to him. Then she died. He had lost another clan member, a cousin, a friend. It was never going to end, was it?

Kaze watched Sasuke cry over Hitomi. She was wide-eyed in shock. It had happened so quickly. In one instant, a kunai had buried itself into her neck, spattering blood everywhere, painting the tiles red. Her beautiful green eyes, usually sparkling with life, were empty. She had lost someone else. First her mother, then her rival – and best friend. Tears began flowing down her cheeks. She put a hand on the tree next to her. The chakra from her anger flowed down her arm as she turned and buried her fist into the tree trunk. With a loud _crack_ , the tree split all the way through, teetering over and landing on the trees nearest to it, bending them dangerously. Then, with one last look at Hitomi, she turned and ran.

Aya stood in a tree, watching the whole thing. Itachi was next to her, telling her to come with him. She watched Sasuke sob – something she'd only seen once before – over Hitomi's "body". She watched Hyuuga Neji gently kiss her on the forehead, his few tears falling onto her cheeks. She watched Kaze's eyes flare with anger, the chakra almost visible to the naked eye. The way it swirled around her as the tree fell. This would be the start of a new life for her, and hopefully, a better one.

 _Revolution_

 _Revolution_

 _A million hearts will always be_

 _Stronger than any gun_

Sasuke and Kaze stood across from Aya. Aya stood her ground, her Sharingan flowing in her jade green eyes. A wide-eyed Kaze stared into them, finally knowing the truth. Her eyes softened and she smiled, holding out her hand. Aya looked down at her own hand, before looking back up at Kaze. She, too, smiled, and shook Kaze's hand. Sasuke stared at her in disbelief. Not that she blamed him; how could she, after she tricked all of them like that.

But he nodded, as did she, and there was a battle cry as a strong man wielding a large sword came after at them from three directions – powerful water clones. Kaze, Sasuke and Aya all stood with their backs to each other, the mark of trust between warriors. And together, they fought.

 _We disappear,_

 _Then unite like shadows!_

 _We disappear,_

 _Then unite like shadows, shadows, shadows…_

Together, they fought, and together, they trained. They began to rekindle their relationship, began to become friends again. And if it weren't for one man, with eyes like a snake, they might have become the family that they had lost.

But the man with the snake eyes won Sasuke over, and Uchiha Itachi took Aya back, and Kaze was left all alone.

On the night that Sasuke left Konoha for good, Kaze tried to stop him. She tried and she tried; she tried to talk to him, but when that failed, she tried to force him to stop. But Sasuke struck her, leaving his best friend incapacitated. With only two words left for her, he left her bleeding out on the forest floor. And he left. For he had sworn that he would not let anyone get in the way of his revenge, and Kaze had gotten in his way.

Kaze became trapped in her own body. Her physical form, and the spirit that had lived inside of her since her birth, were badly damaged. Kaze screamed at her to wake her up, but she couldn't. For the first time in her life, Kaze was physically fragile. Her strong will was gone, and her power and strength sapped out of her body with one strike. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't… she just couldn't… so she waited. She waited, and she listened.

Aya sat next to Kaze, calling her a fool for trying to stop Sasuke. She finally told Kaze all the things on her mind, even though she knew Kaze could hear her in her comatose state. Kaze heard everything that Aya told her, and Aya did not hesitate for a single second. They may have been rivals since they first met, but they were also the best of friends. Aya took Kaze's hand as she talked, not allowing anybody else to come near her while she was there – not even Kakashi. And finally, Aya fell asleep next to Kaze, still holding her hand.

And Kaze, still trapped in her own mind, smiled, her black eyes twinkling in the faint light that Hitomi had always brought her.

 _All for one and one for all,_

 _Together we're unstoppable!_

 _All for one and one for all,_

 _Together we're unstoppable!_

It was a battlefield. War had ravaged the country. And once again, Hitomi, Sasuke, and Kaze stood across from each other, in the middle of the fight. Hitomi and Kaze shook hands once again, this time as true friends. The two girls would always be rivals, but for now, in the middle of a war zone, they would work together as friends, and trust each other. Finally, they were sisters again.

Sasuke, who had killed Itachi and now knew the truth about Konoha, stood facing Kaze like he had seen her for the first time. Her eyes, the right once brilliant blue and the left piercing white, were black. He thought he had killed Kaze. He had _seen_ her bleeding out on the pavement in Konoha. But here she was, standing in front of her, alive and stronger than ever. She held out her hand to him, but she wasn't smiling to him. How could she, when he was the one that had nearly killed her, the one that had given her the scar that could be seen under her torn shirt.

But he shook nonetheless, and a hint of a smile crossed Kaze's face. Maybe one day he could make amends to her, but that day was nowhere near, he could see that in her eyes.

But for now, they would fight.

 _We disappear_

 _Then unite like shadows_

 _We disappear_

 _Then unite like shadows, shadows, shadows…_

Once again, they turned their back to each other. Sasuke drew his sword, the Sword of Kusanagi, from his waist. Given to him by Orochimaru, the last person he had killed with it was Danzo, who feigned being the Hokage for his own personal agenda. He would destroy the Hidden Leaf Village himself, and reign as Hokage, bringing back the Uchiha, his clan, that Konoha had ordered be destroyed by one of the Uchiha themselves. They were destroyed from within. Sasuke would avenge Itachi, even if he had to fight with the Allied Forces for a short while. But he didn't want to lose Hitomi, or… or Kaze. They were the only real family he had left. So, even if he had to abandon them later, he would fight with them.

Kaze, too, drew her sword, the Bloodline Blade that she had inherited from her mother, and held it in front of her. It gleamed silver in the fading light, her name – engraved on the blade with her own chakra – caught the light, and chakra as black as her eyes followed the blade wherever Kaze moved it. It marked her place on the battlefield, as the true head of her clan, whether her mother had given it up or not. She finally had Hitomi by her side again, and Sasuke… well, she might forgive him one day. She didn't trust him, but it was obvious that he trusted her. So, even if it was just for one battle, she would trust him for now. It felt good, to fight by the side of her two best friends again. Despite the horror of the situation, she grinned.

Hitomi's Sharingan swirled in her eyes as she stood with Kaze and Sasuke. She loved them both dearly, and now, she would finally be able to fight alongside them again. Kaze may not be of her blood, but she was as close to her family as Sasuke, her cousin. She didn't have a powerful sword like those two. Once again, she was in their shadow. Just like at the Academy. But today, on the battlefield, she would finally show that she was their equal. She never was at the Academy, even when she was Aya, not Hitomi, but now, finally… it was her time to shine just as brightly as the two warriors beside her.

But then she realised, that they weren't meant to shine brightly together. They were meant to be the shadows that kept the world in order. They were all different in strengths and abilities, but they levelled each other out.

And they always would.

 _All for one and one for all,_

 _Together we're unstoppable!_

 _All for one and one for all,_

 _Together we're unstoppable!_

Many years later, the war was over. And Hitomi was right. She, Kaze, and Sasuke had levelled each other out. As she sat at Neji's grave, she remembered how they had fought together, how they had trusted each other when the world depended on it. They had fought, and they had one.

Now Sasuke was outside of the village, on a path to redemption, but he had left behind a wife and two beautiful children: a girl, with silky black hair that fell like black fire and beautiful violet eyes; and her twin brother, a boy with fiery red hair and eyes as dark as coal. Both of them were the children of the ancient Takigawa and Uchiha clans, and they would thrive to carry on the legacy of their ancestors.

Kaze, the mother of both, was still a Special Jounin for Konoha, but she was always training her children. For her daughter was the next heiress to her clan and Kaze's blade, and her son, with eyes like his father, may someday possess a Sharingan even more powerful than Sasuke's. Hitomi and Maria were often turned to when they needed a place to stay for a few nights, when Kaze went on missions. But she always returned.

And Hitomi, last but not least, was happily married with a son of her own. For a while after the war ended – and Neji's death – she though that she would never recover, that she would never find love as strong as that again. But through the new alliance between the Five Great Nations, she found love, but not in Konoha. She smiled.

Finally, the three of them were happy.

 _We're history._


End file.
